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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — a city
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — certain
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — obliged
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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