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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — to tease
  4. vault — a safe
  5. last — final
  6. kid — child
  7. land — a country
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. present — there
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — wild animals
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. last — to go on
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a dance
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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