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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. march — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spring — the season

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