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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lie — to recline
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rock — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — a subject
  8. deal — to handle
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. vault — a safe
  12. squash — to crush
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. squash — the vegetable

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