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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · season · lie · stand · court · bat · jam · field

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. season — of the year
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — for sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stand — to bear
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — of law
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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