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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. spell — letters
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — farmland
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spell — magic
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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