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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to click
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. season — in sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bass — low music
  8. net — for catching
  9. court — of a king
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — a price
  16. bass — the fish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — of the year

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