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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: court · cap · clip · content · foot · vault · ball · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ball — a dance
  3. vault — a safe
  4. clip — for paper
  5. content — happy
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. court — for sport
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cap — a hat
  14. court — of law
  15. cap — of ice
  16. clip — to cut
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ball — a great time
  19. court — of a king
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pound — a weight
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — a video

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