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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — the time now
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — to confront
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. present — there
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. present — a gift
  18. field — a subject
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — to put up with

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