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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — a city
  10. bound — obliged
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bound — certain
  14. band — a music group
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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