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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · drill · vault · fall · chip · lean · field · bear

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — thin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — to eat
  15. drill — army training
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to bend
  20. drill — a practice
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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