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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. court — of law
  6. capital — a city
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — money
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. present — the time now
  11. vault — a safe
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. present — there
  14. clip — a video
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cell — a phone
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — for paper

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