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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — a subject
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. spell — magic
  8. staff — employees
  9. roll — a cake
  10. staff — a stick
  11. roll — a list
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — farmland
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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