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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. row — a line
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. row — to paddle
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — a city
  15. staff — employees
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pound — a weight
  24. saw — the tool

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