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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. press — a publisher
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mate — to breed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — to push
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. court — for sport
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mate — a partner
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. saw — the tool

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