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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — a tool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — final
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. last — to go on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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