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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. field — a subject
  8. capital — a city
  9. roll — a list
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. vault — a safe
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lie — to recline

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