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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. net — after costs
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. court — of law
  8. rule — a law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. vault — a safe
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — government

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