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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rock — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — a stone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — to cut
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — to tease

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