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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — to bear
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. present — there
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fork — in a road
  23. squash — to crush
  24. present — the time now

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