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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — of law
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of a king
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. vault — a safe
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — the time now
  18. season — in sport
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — money
  24. wound — an injury

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