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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. fine — high quality
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — happy
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. content — the amount
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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