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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pop — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — final
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pop — soda
  21. court — of law
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. court — of a king

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