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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: ball · court · lean · field · land · safe · vault · firm

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — steady
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. land — a country
  11. firm — a company
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. field — for sport
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. lean — to bend
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — farmland

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