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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a ring
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. game — a match
  18. vault — a safe
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — music
  24. game — wild animals

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