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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. vault — a safe
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — a practice
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cap — a hat
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. drill — the tool
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — boats
  20. drill — army training
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — for sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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