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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 120 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 · vault · content · tube · mate · wave · last · nail

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — a safe
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. tube — the underground
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — to go on
  10. court — of a king
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. last — final
  15. mate — to breed
  16. tube — a container
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — finally
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. mate — a friend
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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