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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 116 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: content · cue · ground · pop · nail · bass · vault · court

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pop — music
  11. bass — low music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — the amount
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — a position
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — for sport

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