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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. net — in sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — for catching
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — farmland
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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