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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of law
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of a king
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spring — of water
  22. court — for sport
  23. fine — all right
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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