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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — happy
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a line of people
  14. game — wild animals
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. content — the amount
  24. game — a match

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