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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: cap · lean · vault · object · ball · present · court · bat

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of a king
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — there
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ball — a dance
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. present — a gift
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — of law
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lean — thin
  23. object — an aim
  24. bat — for baseball

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