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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. vault — a safe
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. face — to point toward
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. stand — to bear

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