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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. field — for sport
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — a phone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — in biology
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — a subject

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