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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: swing · court · last · rest · fine · pop · vault · pitcher

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. last — to go on
  6. court — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — soda
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. last — finally
  13. court — of a king
  14. swing — music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pop — to visit
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — to play on
  24. last — final

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