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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — army training
  3. wake — a trail
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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