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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — to recline
  13. content — the amount
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. content — happy

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