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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mark — a grade
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. field — a subject
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — certain
  16. rest — a break
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — a weight
  23. vault — a safe
  24. patient — a sick person

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