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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: rock · fine · vault · chair · land · mine · roll · court

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — a country
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. court — of law
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. roll — a list
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of a king
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. land — ground
  24. chair — a professorship

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