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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. vault — a safe
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — crushed

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