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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chest — a box
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. vault — a safe
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your body

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