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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the sport
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rock — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fork — in a road
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. hide — animal skin

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