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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — ground
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. land — a country
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — decided
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. firm — steady
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. court — of law
  24. land — to come down

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