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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — a break
  3. rush — hurry
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — a safe
  7. game — wild animals
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rule — a law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of law
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. court — of a king
  24. bowl — to roll

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