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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. roll — a list
  7. field — farmland
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. swing — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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