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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. object — a thing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. season — of the year
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. object — an aim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — farmland
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chest — a box
  24. season — to add flavour

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