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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: kid · stand · dip · mark · face · vault · chair · bear

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. dip — to sink
  11. face — to point toward
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bear — the animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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