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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 · mug · ball · temple · mate · stock · bark · vault

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — of a king
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ball — a dance
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stock — shares
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mug — a face

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