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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — a song
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. track — a path
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — completely
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — a safe

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