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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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Word bank
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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pass — a permit
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rock — a stone
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cell — in biology
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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