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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — farmland
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. field — a subject
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — of a river
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chair — a leader

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