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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: last · pass · game · vault · present · chest · lean · court

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — the time now
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. game — a match
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. present — there
  14. lean — thin
  15. chest — a box
  16. last — finally
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — to go on
  19. present — a gift
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — final
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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