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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — a permit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — for sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — farmland
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. saw — the tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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