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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — for sport
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rock — a stone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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