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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. file — a tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stand — to bear
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. cold — an illness
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a line of people
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. trunk — of a car

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