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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: vault · branch · court · mark · deal · drill · season · cap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. court — of law
  13. cap — of ice
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. court — of a king
  21. drill — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mark — a grade

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