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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
468
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: court · pitch · vault · tube · chip · pop · mine · game

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a match
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitch — completely

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