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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. field — for sport
  10. bore — to tire
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — farmland
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — a subject
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — all right
  22. club — a group
  23. wound — an injury
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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