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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — from a university
  10. can — to be able to
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — to confront
  19. degree — temperature
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a great time
  22. vault — a safe
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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