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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — a series
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — of a king
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — a subject
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — hurry
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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