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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of a king
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. court — of law
  22. scale — size or range
  23. branch — a division
  24. nail — for a hammer

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