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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — magic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — for sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — a subject
  15. cap — a lid
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. spell — a short time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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