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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bore — to drill
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. vault — a safe
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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