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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. suit — in cards
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — for sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. swing — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. suit — to fit
  15. date — the fruit
  16. vault — a safe
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. race — a contest
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — clothes
  24. swing — to play on

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