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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — of a king
  4. vault — a safe
  5. last — final
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — for sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. last — finally
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rule — a law
  15. tube — a container
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — the underground
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. court — of law

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