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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — farmland
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. race — the arms race
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. race — a contest
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — for sport
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. root — the cause
  15. present — there
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. field — a subject
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bat — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. race — humankind
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a dance

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