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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: cold · cell · bank · firm · bowl · lash · vault · track

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — for money
  11. track — a path
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bank — of a river
  14. track — a song
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — in biology
  24. firm — steady

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