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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. plane — a tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. drill — army training
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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