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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chest — a box
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. swing — in golf
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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