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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: field · vault · kid · lean · bank · bat · cue · court

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. kid — child
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — farmland
  13. vault — a safe
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — a subject
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of law
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bank — for money

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