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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — a face
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. track — a song

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