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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: wind · court · mate · land · track · vault · wake · stick

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — a path
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — of law
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wind — moving air
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — a partner
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a song
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — a friend

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