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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 120 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 · bank · band · vault · racket · present

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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 — for sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bank — of a river
  6. court — of law
  7. present — a gift
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — the time now
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — there
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  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