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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. scale — size or range
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chest — a box
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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