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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. cap — of ice
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. race — the arms race
  7. court — of a king
  8. lean — thin
  9. perch — the fish
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. race — a contest
  13. ball — a great time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lean — to bend
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a dance
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a document
  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