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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. board — to get on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — to bear
  18. board — a committee
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bowl — a football final

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