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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. field — farmland
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — to rob
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — for sport
  21. vault — a safe
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chair — to sit on

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