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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. vault — a safe

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