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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. date — the fruit
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — to handle

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