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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — a tin
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — for digging
  24. straw — dry grass

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