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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cold — not warm
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — of a king
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cold — an illness

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