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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. vault — a safe
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — a match
  7. field — farmland
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a word
  17. lean — to bend
  18. field — for sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rock — music
  23. court — of a king
  24. lean — to rest against

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