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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: saw · court · vault · squash · kid · deal · bass · mark

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bass — low music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. vault — a safe
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — of a king
  24. kid — child

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