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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. drill — the tool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — army training
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — hasty
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — a series
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — a tin

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