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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: season · foot · vault · temple · court · rest · file · roll

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. file — a line of people
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. rest — what's left
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. roll — a cake
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. foot — a measure
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — a break

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