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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — a path
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. press — to push
  22. track — a song
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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