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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. vault — a safe
  15. prune — to trim
  16. court — of a king
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — for sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. date — on the calendar

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