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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — high quality
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. vault — a safe
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — all right

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