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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 120 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: club · vault · pass · bear · court · season · racket · wound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. club — for dancing
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. court — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. club — for golf
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — an injury

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