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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. game — a match
  19. fall — the season
  20. stock — shares
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stock — goods

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