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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. snap — to click
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — a subject
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — child

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