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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. foot — a measure
  3. vault — a safe
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — a division
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — a permit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — wild animals

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