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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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Word bank
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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: vault · shower · swing · court · rule · mark

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — to wash
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of a king
  7. mark — a trace
  8. swing — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. vault — a safe
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mark — a grade
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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