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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — an illness
  4. suit — clothes
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lean — thin
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stem — to come from
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. key — the most important part
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lean — to bend
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. vault — a safe

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