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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — final
  8. swing — music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. vault — a safe
  11. suit — in cards
  12. tube — the underground
  13. swing — in golf
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. field — farmland
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. last — to go on
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — finally
  23. suit — clothes
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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