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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — a country
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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