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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. track — a song
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chip — for betting
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com