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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — magic
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — an illness
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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