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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mug — to rob
  7. charge — a price
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. charge — in control
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. present — the time now
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bat — for baseball

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