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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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 — a safe
  2. court — for sport
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — the amount
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rule — a law
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. present — a gift
  19. content — happy
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rule — government
  23. present — there
  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