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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.

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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. dip — to sink
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — a coil
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. roll — a list
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rule — government
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — the season

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