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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 116 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 · content · lash · firm · present · court · spell · row

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — for sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. present — the time now
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — decided
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. content — happy
  12. present — there
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — letters
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. court — of law
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. content — the amount
  22. spell — magic
  23. vault — a safe
  24. content — videos and posts

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