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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — the underground
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — a container
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — for sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — a safe
  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