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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. vault — a safe

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