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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. present — there
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fall — the season
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — a gift
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fork — in a road
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fall — to drop

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