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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. object — to protest
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — in golf
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. object — an aim
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — a safe
  20. court — of a king
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — a video
  24. capital — money

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