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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of a king
  3. pop — to visit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. vault — a safe
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — to get on
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. degree — temperature
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — music
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — from a university

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