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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — soda
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fork — in a road
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — a subject
  21. current — of water
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. current — electric

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