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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cap — a lid

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