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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. land — a country
  4. field — farmland
  5. suit — clothes
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — for golf
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. suit — to fit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. suit — in cards
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for dancing
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — a safe
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — in sport
  21. land — ground
  22. club — a group
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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