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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitch — completely
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pop — soda
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — a stick
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hand — in cards
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — the cause

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