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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — soda
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pop — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lean — thin
  22. mate — to breed
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mug — a face

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