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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: cold · pop · court · rash · vault · game · ball · charge

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pop — to visit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. game — a match
  5. charge — a price
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. charge — electricity
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pop — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — of a king
  20. charge — in control
  21. pop — soda
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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