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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. vault — a safe
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. capital — a city
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. content — happy
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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