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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. swing — in golf
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bear — the animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. root — the cause
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. swing — music
  18. root — of a word
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. season — of the year
  21. saw — the tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bear — the animal

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