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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 · vault · court · field · snap · scale · fan · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. court — of law
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. drill — army training
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to click

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