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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — in football
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. field — farmland
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — a break
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rest — what's left

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