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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: vault · hand · rock · stock · court · bass · row · bound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bound — certain
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — music
  24. row — a line

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