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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. vault — a safe
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — to come down
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — in football

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