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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — to bear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. field — farmland
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. file — a document
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. vault — a safe
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pit — in a race
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — in music

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