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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — in football
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — in control
  11. pop — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — a container
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — the underground
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spring — the season

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