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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitch — completely
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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