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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — for sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — for betting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — a loud noise

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