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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — to play on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. swing — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — the season
  24. kick — with a leg

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