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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kick — in football
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. roll — a list
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pop — soda
  12. field — a subject
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — farmland
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — for sport
  24. wound — an injury

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