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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. rash — a series
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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