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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. track — a path
  3. court — of law
  4. content — happy
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. court — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fine — all right
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. court — of a king
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kid — to tease
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — a safe
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. track — a song
  24. bear — to put up with

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