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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spell — a short time
  13. present — a gift
  14. vault — a safe
  15. present — there
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. swing — music

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