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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: craft · wind · vault · court · foot · pitch · coach · wax

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. vault — a safe
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. craft — a skill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — completely
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — for sport

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