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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — to shout
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. court — of a king
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. vault — a safe
  17. last — final
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. board — a committee
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — dry grass

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