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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. vault — a safe
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — a gift
  8. track — a path
  9. field — a subject
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. field — for sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — a song
  16. suit — clothes
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. suit — to fit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. present — there
  23. track — to keep track
  24. present — the time now

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