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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. swing — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — in football
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. toast — bread
  24. branch — of a tree

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