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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. drill — army training
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ground — the earth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — soda

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