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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pop — to visit
  3. drill — a practice
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — soda
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — of water
  9. drill — army training
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — the season
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a great time
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ball — a dance
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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