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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — of law
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — there
  11. pit — in a race
  12. court — for sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — a gift
  23. court — of a king
  24. spring — a coil

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