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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stand — to bear
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wind — moving air

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