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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pit — in a race
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — wild animals
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. game — a match
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — to sink
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — a hole
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a rubber band

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