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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. suit — in cards
  6. vault — a safe
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — a subject
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — crushed
  24. field — farmland

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