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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — in football
  9. vault — a safe
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — in a road
  16. squash — to crush
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — help
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. clip — a video
  24. current — happening now

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