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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spell — magic
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of law
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. game — a match
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — letters
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of a king

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