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

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. court — of law
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. vault — a safe
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. court — of a king

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