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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. vault — a safe
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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