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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — a safe
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. club — for golf
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spring — of water
  13. foot — a measure
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — the season
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. club — for dancing

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