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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of a king
  10. fall — to drop
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — a contest
  15. staff — a stick
  16. date — the fruit
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — to protest
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. vault — a safe
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. hide — animal skin

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