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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. file — a document
  6. net — for catching
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. court — of law
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. court — for sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — to hurry

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