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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. toast — bread
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kid — child
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of a king
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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