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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 120 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: nail · arm · mine · pound · row · vault · rash · court

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. row — a line
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — of a king
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rash — hasty
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pound — a weight
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — on the skin

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