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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — for sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. last — finally
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. last — final
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chip — to eat
  20. snap — to click
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. bark — to shout

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