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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — happy
  11. court — of a king
  12. vault — a safe
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — a practice
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — for sport

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