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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: chest · vault · season · foot · bore · press · court · deal

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. season — of the year
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bore — to drill
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chest — of your body
  21. press — to push
  22. court — of a king
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. foot — a measure

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