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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — a subject
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. game — a match
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. row — a line

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