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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — final
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — in a race
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — to go on
  12. pit — a hole
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — completely
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a dance

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