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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — to wash
  8. land — ground
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — a subject
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — to put up with

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