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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. track — a song
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mug — a face
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pound — a weight
  21. track — a path
  22. vault — a safe
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — to rob

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