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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — a safe
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cell — a phone
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — a signal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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