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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — of law
  3. swing — music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — high quality
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — for sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wake — a trail
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lean — thin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fine — all right
  22. lean — to bend
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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