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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — in sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. season — of the year
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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