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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. firm — decided
  15. pass — a permit
  16. scale — in music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. scale — for weighing
  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