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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — for sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. court — of a king
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — in music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — for a lock
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. squash — to crush
  24. key — the most important part

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