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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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 — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a line of people
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a tool
  14. root — the cause
  15. file — a document
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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