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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — a permit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — a safe
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. swing — music

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