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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — happy
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. court — of law
  12. spell — letters
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — magic
  19. game — a match
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hand — part of the body

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