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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · ball · fine · vault · wind · rash · ground · court

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ground — a position
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — hasty
  11. court — of a king
  12. march — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — all right
  18. ground — the earth
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. court — of law
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fine — high quality
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rash — on the skin

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