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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — of the year
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. vault — a safe
  7. court — of a king
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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