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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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Word bank
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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: leaves · drill · cell · court · vault · wind

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cell — in biology
  6. court — of law
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — army training
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — for sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. wind — moving air

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