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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.

Make a worksheet

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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — decided
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. perch — the fish
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bass — the fish
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. firm — steady
  17. bass — low music
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — a company
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — bread

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