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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — help
  9. ball — a dance
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — final
  15. mine — for digging
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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