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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: cell · race · board · mouse · vault · court · drill · kid

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cell — in biology
  6. board — a committee
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. court — of a king
  11. kid — child
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. court — of law
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. race — the arms race
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. drill — the tool

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