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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. sharp — clever
  12. court — of law
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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