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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — to bear
  3. vault — a safe
  4. face — to confront
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. file — a document
  7. fall — the season
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — the most important part
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a line of people
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — the fruit

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