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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — a safe
  12. tear — to rip
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — for catching
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — clever

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