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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chair — a leader
  8. face — to point toward
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cap — of ice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cap — a hat
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bowl — to roll

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