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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: pop · vault · face · ground · court · ball · season · bat

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ground — a position
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — to visit
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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