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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. vault — a safe
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tube — the underground
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — music
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — a container
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. swing — to play on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chair — a leader
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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