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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · pit · ruler · vault · patient · band

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. band — a music group
  4. vault — a safe
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. band — a ring
  9. pit — in a race
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a rubber band

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