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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. current — electric
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — magic
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — of water
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — letters

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