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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — to protest
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rock — music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. object — an aim
  16. rock — a stone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. object — a thing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wake — a trail

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