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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ground — crushed
  3. toast — bread
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — a position
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bat — the animal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. vault — a safe
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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