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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: court · cell · ball · cue · vault · wake · pit · roll

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cell — in biology
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pit — in a race
  9. roll — a cake
  10. court — of a king
  11. cue — a signal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. court — for sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. roll — a list

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