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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: fan · court · club · wave · vault · content · temple · mine

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. content — the amount
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. vault — a safe
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. content — happy
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — a group
  21. court — of law
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — for digging
  24. temple — a place of worship

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