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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bound — certain
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — of ice
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — a series
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. patient — a sick person

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