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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: safe · rest · vault · court · press · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — in a race
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. safe — out of danger

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