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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. vault — a safe
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chip — for betting
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — a path
  18. court — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mate — to breed

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