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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. file — a document
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — to tease
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kid — child
  18. bat — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. file — a tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. saw — the tool

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