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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. content — the amount
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mate — a friend
  10. content — happy
  11. drill — a practice
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. vault — a safe
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. lie — to recline

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