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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — an illness
  11. present — the time now
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lean — thin
  14. pass — a permit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. present — there
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — a gift

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