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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — of a king
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. capital — a city
  24. kid — child

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