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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. present — the time now
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. vault — a safe
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — a trail
  19. present — a gift
  20. chip — for betting
  21. present — there
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  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