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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — to sink
  9. content — happy
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. stand — to bear
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. vault — a safe

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