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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — for sport
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. suit — to fit
  16. field — farmland
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. suit — in cards
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — of law
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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