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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: court · plane · kid · vault · mark · press · perch · fan

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. court — for sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. press — a publisher
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mark — a trace
  21. plane — a tool
  22. kid — child
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of law

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