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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: court · racket · board · vault · chip · fall · rush · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. board — a committee
  5. lean — thin
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of a king
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — of law

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