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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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 — a football final
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kick — in football
  5. mug — a face
  6. present — a gift
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. court — for sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. court — of law
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. present — the time now
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — of a king
  21. present — there
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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