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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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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: race · racket · ball · mine · calf · court · temple · vault

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — a contest
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — for digging
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — of law
  14. race — humankind
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — for tennis

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