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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. land — to come down
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — ground
  19. march — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — a country
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. last — to go on

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