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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mate — to breed
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rush — hurry
  24. ball — a round shape

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