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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wake — a trail
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. vault — a safe
  15. field — a subject
  16. court — for sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — of a king
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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