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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: ground · chest · vault · perch · stick · court · mug · spring

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mug — to rob
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — the season
  19. ground — crushed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of a king
  24. perch — for a bird

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