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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — the tool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. degree — from a university
  20. drill — a practice
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tear — to rip

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