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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — an aim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of a king
  14. object — to protest
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. object — a thing
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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