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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — final
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — of a king
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. last — finally
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — a safe

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