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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. content — happy
  13. stand — to bear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. content — the amount

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