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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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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: pitcher · dip · rest · charge · vault · cell · court · stock

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — shares
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. charge — in control
  16. court — for sport
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in a prison

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