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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — for sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. vault — a safe
  9. net — for catching
  10. field — farmland
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — a box
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — a cake
  16. net — after costs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — a group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. club — for golf
  22. roll — a list
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. roll — on a roll

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