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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. vault — a safe
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — in football
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — to rip
  13. march — music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a great time
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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