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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. clip — to cut
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. vault — a safe

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