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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — to recline
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. field — a subject
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a bank

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