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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pop — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — a subject
  5. roll — a list
  6. field — farmland
  7. row — a line
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — a position
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — to visit
  15. vault — a safe
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ground — crushed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cabinet — ministers

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