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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mine — for digging
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. game — a match
  24. lie — to recline

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