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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fine — all right
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fine — high quality
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rock — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rock — a stone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. temple — a place of worship

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