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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: scale · racket · court · arm · rule · spring · vault · pound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — the season
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rule — government
  18. spring — a coil
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rule — a law
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — for sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — of water

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