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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. race — the arms race
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — a contest
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of a king
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. track — to keep track
  14. vault — a safe
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tube — a container
  18. race — humankind
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — a path
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a song

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