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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: hand · shower · mouse · court · jam · degree · board · vault

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. degree — an amount
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. degree — from a university
  18. vault — a safe
  19. shower — rain
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — help

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