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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 116 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a dance
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bass — low music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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