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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: vault · court · pitch · fan · roll · spell · can · bank

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — magic
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — letters
  15. bank — for money
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. court — of a king
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of law
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bank — of a river

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