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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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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: vault · track · ball · fan · pound · present · court · pitcher

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. present — a gift
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — there
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. court — of law
  17. present — the time now
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a song
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fan — a supporter

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