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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rock — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lie — to recline
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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