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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of a king
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. game — a match
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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