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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. chest — a box
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. court — of law
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — of your body

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