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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spell — a short time
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — letters

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