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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — to crush
  5. court — of law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — for sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. drill — army training
  10. vault — a safe
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of a king

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