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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: mine · racket · bay · vault · last · court · branch · snap

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — final
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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