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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a dance
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — a safe
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ball — a great time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. squash — the sport
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — wild animals
  24. sharp — exactly

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