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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. court — of a king
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ball — a great time
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. clip — to cut
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a dance
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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