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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 120 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: wound · cabinet · content · bowl · vault · saw · arm · stick

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — the amount
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — happy
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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