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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. present — the time now
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — a gift
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. present — there
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pop — music

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