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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — finally
  3. present — there
  4. last — final
  5. game — a match
  6. vault — a safe
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. present — a gift
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. present — the time now
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — to go on
  24. pit — in a race

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