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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · ruler · season · bowl · vault · mug

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a face
  10. season — of the year
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch

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