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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — farmland
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lean — thin
  8. field — for sport
  9. swing — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a line
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. row — to paddle
  24. swing — in golf

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