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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: vault · bore · band · season · scale · toast · bay · court

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. court — of law
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — bread
  11. court — for sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of a king
  15. scale — in music
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. band — a music group
  22. season — in sport
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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