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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: wind · row · court · press · pop · suit · vault · craft

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pop — music
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pop — soda
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — to fit
  11. court — of a king
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. press — to push
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — newspapers
  22. suit — clothes
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a line

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