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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. scale — size or range
  17. toast — bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rest — a break
  24. snap — to click

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