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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. field — a subject
  3. face — to point toward
  4. field — farmland
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stand — to bear

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