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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. vault — a safe
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fall — the season
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — electric
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — a country
  17. spring — a coil
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. current — happening now
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — the season

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