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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. row — a line
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. last — finally
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — completely
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — farmland
  14. spell — magic
  15. last — to go on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — a safe
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. last — final
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. field — a subject
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — belonging to me

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