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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bass — low music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. squash — to crush
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cell — a phone

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