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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: racket · court · chip · foot · mate · vault · temple · chair

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. foot — a measure
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — of law
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — a friend
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — part of the body

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