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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: rash · court · game · last · racket · ground · wound · vault

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — final
  7. rash — hasty
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — wild animals
  15. last — finally
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — the earth
  18. vault — a safe
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — to go on
  23. ground — crushed
  24. court — of law

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