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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ground — a position
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kid — child
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. game — a match
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lie — to recline
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hand — help

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