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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. key — in music
  4. present — the time now
  5. sharp — clever
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. vault — a safe
  13. court — for sport
  14. present — there
  15. roll — a cake
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. roll — a list
  18. key — for a lock
  19. present — a gift
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. key — the most important part

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