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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — to tease
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wind — moving air
  10. squash — the sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stem — to come from
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. arm — part of the body

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