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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — a gift
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — there
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. present — the time now
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to confront
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bank — of a river
  18. row — a line
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lie — to recline
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. face — to point toward

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