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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: mug · leaves · court · kid · field · vault · board · arm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kid — child
  5. mug — to rob
  6. board — a committee
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mug — a face
  12. board — to get on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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