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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. field — a subject
  6. cue — for pool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fall — to drop
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — obliged
  14. object — a thing
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — for sport
  17. cue — a hint
  18. object — an aim
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fall — the season
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. can — to be able to

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