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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — government
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — a law

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