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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 120 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 · cold · court · racket · board · ruler · kid · wave

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — of a king
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. board — to get on
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — a committee
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — a loud noise

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