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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — money
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cell — in biology
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — to protest
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — an aim

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