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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. cell — in biology
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — to push
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — a safe
  22. press — newspapers
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pound — for dogs

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