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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. club — for dancing
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cap — a lid
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rock — a stone
  17. club — for golf
  18. cap — of ice
  19. snap — to click
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rock — music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. dip — to sink

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