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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 120 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
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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: vault · pound · court · firm · temple · bass · ground · season

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — decided
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. court — of a king
  8. ground — a position
  9. bass — the fish
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. pound — a weight
  13. vault — a safe
  14. season — in sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. firm — a company
  17. bass — low music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. firm — steady
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ground — the earth
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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