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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cold · mug · ball · wound · dip · vault · bowl · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mug — a cup
  7. dip — to sink
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rash — a series

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