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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 124 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — of law
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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