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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. court — for sport
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — a phone
  15. file — a document
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. file — a line of people
  24. sharp — clever

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