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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. suit — clothes
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. vault — a safe
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. hand — help
  14. suit — to fit
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. suit — in cards
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lean — to bend
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitch — a sports field

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