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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — of law
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. last — to go on
  8. branch — a division
  9. object — a thing
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. staff — employees
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. last — final

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