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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rash — a series
  4. court — of law
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — hasty
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. present — there
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. content — the amount
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. present — a gift
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — a safe
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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