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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fine — high quality
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fine — all right
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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