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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — a safe
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kick — in football
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rush — hurry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bowl — to roll

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