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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fall — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — to keep track
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — to go on
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a path
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. last — final
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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