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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — a box
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bat — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  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