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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 help me carry this box?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ball — a dance
  4. vault — a safe
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — in music
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ball — a great time
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — high quality
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of law
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — all right

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