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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spell — a short time
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bat — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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