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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of law
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — a permit
  5. present — a gift
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a face
  8. court — for sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rush — hurry
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. court — of a king
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — there
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mug — a cup

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