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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. degree — an amount
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a rubber band

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