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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mine — for digging
  8. key — the most important part
  9. current — happening now
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — in music
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — a coil
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. current — of water
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. snap — to click
  24. spring — of water

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