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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the fish
  8. deal — to handle
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. dip — to sink
  11. court — of law
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a match
  19. court — for sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — a safe
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitch — completely

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