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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rash — a series
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — hasty
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mug — a cup
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a document
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mug — to rob
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. file — a tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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