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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — from a university
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — farmland
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. vault — a safe
  10. suit — clothes
  11. land — to come down
  12. degree — temperature
  13. suit — in cards
  14. scale — size or range
  15. degree — an amount
  16. last — final
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — ground
  19. last — finally
  20. field — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. suit — to fit
  24. saw — the tool

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