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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: straw · field · vault · court · drill · cue · face · firm

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cue — a signal
  3. court — for sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cue — for pool
  7. court — of law
  8. field — for sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. firm — steady
  11. cue — a hint
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — a practice
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — to confront
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. firm — a company
  21. court — of a king
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — decided
  24. drill — army training

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