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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — a phone
  11. spell — a short time
  12. vault — a safe
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — a series
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — magic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bear — the animal

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