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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. scale — in music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mug — to rob
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — for sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wake — a trail
  13. present — the time now
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kid — child
  21. present — there
  22. mug — a face
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — to tease

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