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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — a safe
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kid — child
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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