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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: court · band · ruler · craft · rest · last · mouse · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. last — final
  3. craft — boats
  4. band — a music group
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — finally
  13. court — of law
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. court — of a king
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a ring

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