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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: wound · court · vault · rock · roll · nail · fall · fork

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — a stone
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — of a king
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rock — to move gently

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