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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. club — for golf
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. club — a group
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fall — 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