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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — in sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — in cards
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. band — a ring
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitch — completely
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hand — help

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