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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a song
  3. court — of law
  4. lean — to bend
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. court — for sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. object — a thing
  17. lean — thin
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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