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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: vault · scale · club · rest · court · pitcher · content · bowl

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of law
  10. scale — in music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. club — a group
  17. scale — size or range
  18. court — of a king
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — for golf

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