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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. court — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — in sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — the animal

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