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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitch — completely
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bore — to drill
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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