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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. suit — clothes
  3. swing — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. object — to protest
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. object — an aim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. field — farmland
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cold — not warm
  13. suit — to fit
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. swing — to play on
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. field — for sport

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