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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spell — magic
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. content — happy
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — the amount
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. ball — a great time
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitch — a sports field

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