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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fork — in a road
  6. toast — bread
  7. lean — thin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lean — to rest against

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