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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — a safe
  3. season — of the year
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cell — a phone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cell — in biology

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