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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. court — of law
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — a partner
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — a friend
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — of a river

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