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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. plane — a tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. race — the arms race
  8. shower — to wash
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — rain
  13. present — there
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — the time now
  20. race — humankind
  21. present — a gift
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. plane — an aircraft

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