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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chip — for betting
  5. plane — a tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a document
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. file — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — all right
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — a subject

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