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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. root — of a word
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. root — the cause
  11. pop — music
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — a series
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — soda
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — hasty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. drill — the tool

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