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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — to wash
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. court — of a king

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