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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · pitch · ball · wind · stand · vault

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chest — a box
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — moving air

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