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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. snap — to click
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. vault — a safe
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — a city
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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