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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — a safe
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — a subject
  8. current — electric
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mug — a face
  12. track — a song
  13. object — to protest
  14. current — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — for sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. chair — a professorship

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