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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hand — help
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. vault — a safe
  23. saw — the tool
  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