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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spell — a short time
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — magic
  12. suit — to fit
  13. scale — in music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — for sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — size or range
  24. capital — money

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