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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chest — a box
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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