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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — in sport
  6. fall — the season
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — a grade
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. vault — a safe
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a document

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