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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. court — of law
  5. mate — a friend
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — a trail
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — humankind
  20. court — of a king
  21. race — the arms race
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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