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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. track — a song
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. vault — a safe
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. net — for catching
  19. spring — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — after costs

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