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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: bowl · staff · swing · chest · board · vault · court · field

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — to get on
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. board — a committee
  6. court — for sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — of law
  10. chest — a box
  11. swing — in golf
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — to play on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. court — of a king
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. staff — a stick

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