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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — to be able to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. can — a tin

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