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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: lie · court · vault · racket · field · bat · saw · firm

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. firm — steady
  8. field — a subject
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — the animal
  11. firm — decided
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. lie — to recline
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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