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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. can — a tin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — the fish
  14. object — to protest
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — an aim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — wild animals
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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