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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — a safe
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mug — a cup
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mug — a face
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. shower — rain
  16. field — a subject
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — for sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. deal — an agreement

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