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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. suit — clothes
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — a face
  22. chest — a box
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mug — to rob

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