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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: bowl · fan · mark · mine · straw · pit · vault · kick

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kick — in football
  14. mark — a grade
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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