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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. scale — size or range
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — a subject
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hand — in cards
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — in music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hand — help

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