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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pop — to visit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rest — a break
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — soda
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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