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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. vault — a safe
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — a permit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — of law
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — for digging
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. hand — help

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