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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.

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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: race · stem · game · vault · court · net · mug · wake

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — of a king
  3. net — for catching
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — after costs
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. race — a contest
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — the arms race
  15. game — a match
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — a face
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wake — before a funeral

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