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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — a stick
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — to crush
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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