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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — in football
  11. court — of law
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. vault — a safe
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — moving air

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