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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — the earth
  9. vault — a safe
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. clip — for paper
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. clip — a video
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. march — the month
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chest — of your body

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