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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: hand · pop · bulb · field · vault · court · fine · pound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — a subject
  3. hand — help
  4. court — of a king
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — all right
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bulb — for light
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of law
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — for sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. field — for sport

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