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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fall — to drop
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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