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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — electric
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — a position
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ground — the earth
  24. current — of water

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