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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. race — the arms race
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. court — of law
  7. vault — a safe
  8. face — to point toward
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — a measure
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. court — of a king
  21. race — a contest
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. race — humankind

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