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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. firm — a company
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. firm — decided
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. firm — steady
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. march — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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