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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — letters
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bass — the fish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. row — to paddle
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — magic
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bass — low music

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