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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. root — the cause
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. root — of a word
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — a publisher
  19. court — of law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — a phone
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. craft — a handicraft

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