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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mark — a grade
  4. swing — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — in golf
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — farmland
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. vault — a safe
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mark — a trace

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