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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. board — a committee
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — to get on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — the month
  22. can — to be able to
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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