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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. court — of a king
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. court — for sport
  21. pop — music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rest — a break
  24. saw — the tool

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