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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — of law
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — to tease
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kid — child
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. march — the month
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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