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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. court — of a king
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mark — a grade
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rash — a series
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chest — a box
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. court — of law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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