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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · lean · land · calf · court · object · vault · ground

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — in golf
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. swing — to play on
  10. object — a thing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — to bend
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — the earth
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — to protest
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. court — of a king
  20. swing — music
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. object — an aim
  24. lean — thin

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