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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: racket · court · vault · jam · can · roll

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. court — of law
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. roll — a cake
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. roll — a list
  14. vault — a safe
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. racket — a loud noise

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