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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a great time
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — for sport
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. court — of a king
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — of law
  19. clip — a video
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — to cut

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