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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. court — of a king
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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