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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. vault — a safe
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. cue — a signal
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — a video
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pop — to visit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — music
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of a king

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