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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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Word bank
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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: wind · leaves · track · cabinet · vault · squash · court · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitch — completely
  7. vault — a safe
  8. court — of a king
  9. track — a path
  10. court — of law
  11. track — a song
  12. court — for sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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