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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — of law
  6. root — the cause
  7. bank — for money
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — of a king
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — wild animals
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — for sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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