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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 116 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — a tin
  11. present — the time now
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. present — there
  16. chip — for betting
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. present — a gift
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — to turn a key

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