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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. object — an aim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spring — of water
  16. object — to protest
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — the season
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. object — a thing
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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