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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — hurry
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — a break
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — for sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — farmland
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. board — to get on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a committee
  24. nail — on a finger

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