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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. march — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. vault — a safe
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kick — in football
  24. arm — a part of something

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