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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bass — low music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pop — soda
  11. court — of a king
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — child
  15. court — of law
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pop — music
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pop — to visit

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