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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — a coil
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — the season
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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