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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. vault — a safe
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stand — to bear
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — hasty
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pit — a hole
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rash — a series
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stand — for spectators

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