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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 124 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. game — a match
  9. chair — a leader
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — happy
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. vault — a safe
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — the amount

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