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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cue — a hint
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — a country
  17. kid — child
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — ground

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