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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cell — a phone
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. staff — employees
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pop — soda
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bear — the animal

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