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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. court — for sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. clip — for paper
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pit — in a race
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. clip — a video
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. last — final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — a hole
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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