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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cap — of ice
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. court — of a king
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cap — a lid

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