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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — an aim
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — a thing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. vault — a safe
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — to point toward

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