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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — music
  4. march — music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — farmland
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — a subject
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. field — for sport

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