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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — to point toward
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rule — government
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. file — a tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. vault — a safe

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