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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: court · mouse · club · perch · snap · date · cell · vault

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for golf
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to click
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. court — for sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — of law
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. club — a group

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