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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. swing — to play on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — a permit
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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