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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rock — music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. toast — bread
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tube — a container
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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