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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — a measure
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — a safe
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spell — magic
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. court — of a king
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. court — of law

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