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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: snap · court · stand · hide · bowl · vault · spring · scale

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — of water
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stand — to bear
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. court — of law

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