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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a song
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — the amount
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. branch — of a tree

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