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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — for betting
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — in music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — a straw man

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