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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bowl — a football final

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