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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 116 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: scale · band · wound · court · vault · rule · kick · coach

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — in football
  6. court — for sport
  7. rule — government
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. court — of law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. court — of a king
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rule — a law
  24. band — a ring

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