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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. vault — a safe
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. board — a committee
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. file — a tool

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