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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. field — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — a subject
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. clip — for paper
  13. degree — from a university
  14. vault — a safe
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. field — farmland
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. safe — out of danger

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