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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pit — a hole
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pass — a permit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. sharp — exactly

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