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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. content — the amount
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — help
  11. content — happy
  12. court — of law
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. vault — a safe

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