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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spell — magic
  24. bowl — a football final

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