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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: chest · rush · court · club · ruler · net · game · vault

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — a safe
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — for sport
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — for golf
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of law
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chest — of your body

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