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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. face — to point toward

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