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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cold — not warm
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. cold — an illness
  10. land — ground
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitch — completely
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — finally

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