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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — a safe
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — a short time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — a practice
  17. staff — a stick
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — letters
  22. drill — army training
  23. snap — to click
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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