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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. last — finally
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. field — a subject
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — after costs
  10. deal — to handle
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — final
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. vault — a safe
  24. trunk — of a tree

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