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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chair — a leader
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. vault — a safe
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — a position
  16. fall — the season
  17. can — to be able to
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. can — a tin

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