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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — finally
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fall — the season
  11. vault — a safe
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — final
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — for digging

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