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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: vault · trunk · snap · pitch · stock · key · band · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a ring
  7. key — in music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. vault — a safe
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. key — for a lock
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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