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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — for sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of law
  15. club — for golf
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — the underground
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — of a king
  24. deal — to handle

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