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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.

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: press · pit · track · vault · mark · fine · court · mine

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. court — of a king
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. track — a song
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mine — belonging to me

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