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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — a phone
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ball — a round shape

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