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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. land — a country
  7. snap — to click
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. present — there
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. present — the time now
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bass — the fish
  22. race — the arms race
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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