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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. scale — in music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — a safe
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — a contest
  16. bore — to drill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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