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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. 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. cap — of ice
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — in sport
  4. court — of law
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. court — for sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of a king
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — a tool
  24. 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