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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 · arm · chest · roll · court · pass · foot · rest

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chest — a box
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. rest — a break
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — of your body
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pass — to succeed

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