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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. land — to come down
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — ground
  7. ball — a great time
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. cue — a hint
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — a country

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