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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. swing — music
  3. last — final
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — to play on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. last — to go on
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. swing — in golf
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. face — to confront

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