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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pop — to visit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bore — to drill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bore — to tire
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a match
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pop — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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