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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. roll — a cake
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — of the year
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. season — in sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — after costs
  18. vault — a safe
  19. deal — to handle
  20. roll — a list
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. net — in sport
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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