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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — to wash
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. key — in music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tube — a container
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chair — a leader
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. shower — rain
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — moving air
  23. key — for a lock
  24. tube — the underground

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