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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pop — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. court — of a king
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. dip — to sink
  13. vault — a safe
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — final
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stock — goods
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — for sport

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