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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. court — of a king
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — the amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. last — final
  23. content — happy
  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