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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: arm · mate · fall · vault · hand · court · jam · root

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — for sport
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of law
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. mate — a friend
  24. court — of a king

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