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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: club · vault · field · court · racket · wave

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. court — of law
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — a group
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — for sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for dancing
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for golf

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