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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. object — to protest
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — an aim
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — a thing
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. vault — a safe
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. degree — an amount
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lash — to lash out

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