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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — for catching
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pass — a permit
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fork — in a road
  19. net — after costs
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. sharp — clever
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bowl — a dish

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