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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — a box
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — clothes
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — a subject
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — a safe

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