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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — a series
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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