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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.

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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. press — to push
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fall — the season
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. present — a gift
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. net — after costs
  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