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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. net — after costs
  3. spring — of water
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — the season
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rock — music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kick — in football
  15. game — a match
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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