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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. scale — in music
  6. present — there
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — a face
  9. vault — a safe
  10. present — the time now
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tube — a container
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tube — the underground
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a ring
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. present — a gift
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a music group
  23. mug — a cup
  24. tube — in a tire

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