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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — for betting
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rule — government
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — crushed

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