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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 · track · court · toast · squash · jam · straw · bat

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. track — to keep track
  6. vault — a safe
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — a song
  11. toast — bread
  12. track — a path
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. squash — to crush
  24. straw — a straw man

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