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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cold — an illness
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. vault — a safe
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fork — a garden tool

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