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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: vault · bowl · race · ball · sharp · pass · spring · mug

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mug — a face
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. race — a contest
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. race — humankind
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mug — a cup
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — of water
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — a safe
  24. sharp — exactly

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