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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: rest · lean · court · straw · mark · firm · nail · vault

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. firm — a company
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — for sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mark — a trace
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mark — a grade
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. vault — a safe
  22. court — of a king
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — what's left

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