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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — a safe
  9. charge — in control
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — army training
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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