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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: vault · deal · march · firm · court · kid

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. 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. march — music
  2. firm — steady
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. firm — a company
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — decided
  9. kid — child
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. march — the month
  18. 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