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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. field — farmland
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — the season
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. toast — bread
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — for sport

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