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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. fine — all right
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rock — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. foot — a measure
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. swing — music
  23. fine — high quality
  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