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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: temple · club · mark · court · mate · swing · fan · vault

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. swing — in golf
  6. court — of a king
  7. club — for dancing
  8. court — for sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. vault — a safe
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mate — a friend

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