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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spell — a short time
  4. tube — a container
  5. scale — size or range
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — letters
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. vault — a safe
  19. field — farmland
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — in a tire

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