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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 120 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: bowl · rule · vault · scale · season · wound · court · dip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of law
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rule — a law
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — a safe
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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