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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · field · wound · shower · court · vault · press · foot

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — for sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — a safe
  11. field — farmland
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. staff — a stick
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. press — a publisher
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of a king
  19. press — newspapers
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. court — for sport
  23. shower — rain
  24. foot — part of the body

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