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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
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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: field · drill · plane · arm · lie · ball · vault · court

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — a subject
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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