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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — help
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — in music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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