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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cold — an illness
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cold — not warm
  10. plane — a tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — from a university
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. calf — a young animal

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