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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chip — to eat
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kick — in football
  7. perch — the fish
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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