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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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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: fork · mark · vault · root · wound · bat · court · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — of a king
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — in a road
  6. court — for sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of law
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. firm — a company
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. root — of a word
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — to eat with

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