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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. clip — a video
  5. object — a thing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. clip — to cut
  16. object — to protest
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — a match
  19. court — for sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. game — wild animals
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — for paper
  24. court — of law

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