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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. scale — in music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lean — to bend
  17. vault — a safe
  18. roll — a list
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. court — for sport
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. scale — size or range
  24. face — to confront

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