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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mate — a partner
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — a tin
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — in football
  24. vault — a safe

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