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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — of law
  3. spring — the season
  4. last — final
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stand — to bear
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. last — to go on
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — a line
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — of water
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — the underground
  20. row — to paddle
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — a container
  23. bass — low music
  24. vault — a safe

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