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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to confront
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wake — before a funeral

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