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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a document
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a match
  9. vault — a safe
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pop — soda
  22. game — wild animals
  23. file — a line of people
  24. hide — to keep secret

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