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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stand — on your feet

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