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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · scale · pitcher · mark · court · bowl · present · shower

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — for sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mark — a grade
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. present — a gift
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. scale — size or range
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — there
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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