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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. key — the most important part
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. key — in music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. key — for a lock
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — the fish
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — for sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cell — in biology
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — a thrill

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