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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — not warm
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tube — the underground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — a container
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — of a plant

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