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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. shower — rain
  10. stock — shares
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — happening now
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stock — goods
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kick — with a leg

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