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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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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: net · calf · court · swing · stand · game · vault · pitch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of law
  5. swing — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. game — wild animals
  22. net — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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