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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · object · court · mouse · bowl · staff · last · vault

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — to go on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. court — of a king
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — a thing
  22. ball — a great time
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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