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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — size or range
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. scale — in music
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chair — a leader
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. vault — a safe
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stem — of a plant

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