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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. present — a gift
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. toast — bread
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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