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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: wake · tube · vault · court · racket · content · press · fork

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fork — in a road
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. press — to push
  14. court — for sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — of a king
  18. content — happy
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wake — a trail

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