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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. vault — a safe
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lie — to recline
  6. field — for sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. swing — to play on
  18. snap — to click
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. swing — music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. squash — the vegetable

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