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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. drill — army training
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — a permit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. hand — in cards
  24. drill — a practice

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