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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. vault — a safe
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. land — ground
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — for sport
  8. suit — to fit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. field — farmland
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. scale — size or range
  17. race — a contest
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. suit — clothes
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — in music

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