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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. scale — size or range
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — a contest
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spell — magic
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — in music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. face — to point toward
  20. season — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. season — of the year
  24. bat — in an idiom

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