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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. deal — to handle
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — for sport
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — a subject
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — in music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — to paddle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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