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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fall — the season
  4. kid — to tease
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. land — to come down
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — for sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. land — ground
  11. vault — a safe
  12. kid — child
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — a country
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — a weight
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — all right
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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