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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — army training
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cell — in biology
  24. can — a tin

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