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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: cold · stand · toast · temple · scale · straw · pitch · vault

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. toast — bread
  19. cold — an illness
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitch — completely
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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