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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. 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. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of a king
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chip — for betting
  7. court — of law
  8. game — a match
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — for sport
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — a trail
  18. 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