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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 · race · vault · field · sharp · spell · chair · kick

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — in football
  5. race — a contest
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spell — magic
  14. race — humankind
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spell — letters
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — a short time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — the arms race
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — for sport

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