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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 116 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: bass · kid · season · court · vault · wound · bulb · deal

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bulb — for light
  5. court — of law
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — for sport
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of a king
  18. deal — to handle
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. season — of the year
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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