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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. court — of law
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — ministers

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