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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. pop — music
  4. rule — government
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — in cards
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — a law
  19. court — of law
  20. object — a thing
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — help

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