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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — part of the head
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. clip — a video
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — tied together
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — for a hammer

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