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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. can — to be able to
  5. object — a thing
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. present — there
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. object — to protest
  15. pop — soda
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. cell — a phone

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