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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — of a king
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of law
  16. degree — temperature
  17. march — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — for sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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