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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — child
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — a path
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kid — to tease
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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