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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. content — the amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — a safe
  7. content — happy
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — farmland
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — a container
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. field — a subject

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