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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — an aim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a dance
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitch — completely
  18. object — a thing
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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