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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fall — the season
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bank — for money
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — a match
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rash — a series
  22. game — wild animals
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. field — a subject

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