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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: court · face · chair · bear · lie · vault · mine · stock

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — of law
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — to confront
  15. stock — shares
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. vault — a safe
  23. court — for sport
  24. stock — a soup base

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