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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — happening now
  5. net — in sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. swing — to play on
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. field — a subject
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. vault — a safe
  22. swing — in golf
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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