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

Word bank: scale · court · bowl · vault · pit · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. court — of a king
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — size or range
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. court — for sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — of law
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. deal — to handle
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — in a race
  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