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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: court · sharp · vault · safe · season · stem · track · press

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. vault — a safe
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — of a king
  5. sharp — clever
  6. track — a path
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — of the year
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — a song
  24. season — to add flavour

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