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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. present — the time now
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — ground
  6. present — a gift
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. vault — a safe
  11. land — a country
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — there
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — to come down
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — to recline

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