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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — in sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — to sit on

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