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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spring — the season
  13. pass — a permit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. suit — clothes
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. vault — a safe
  20. suit — to fit
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — a song
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stem — a stem cell

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