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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — the animal
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. spell — a short time
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. vault — a safe
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — to tire
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — a match
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bore — gave birth

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