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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. march — the month
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. staff — a stick
  20. present — there
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. straw — a straw man

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