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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — a coil
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — a safe
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. pound — a weight

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