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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. swing — to play on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. swing — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. vault — a safe
  10. current — electric
  11. shower — to wash
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. current — of water
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — happening now
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kick — a thrill

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