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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 116 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. court — of law
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — the tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. court — of a king
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cue — for pool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. safe — a strongbox

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