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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.

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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rock — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cold — an illness
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rash — a series
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. snap — to click
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rash — hasty

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