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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 · pit · saw · arm · nail · fork · court · ground

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — a position
  7. court — of a king
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fork — in a road
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pit — a hole
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. saw — the tool

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