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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cold — not warm
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. firm — decided
  8. spring — the season
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. firm — a company
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stem — to come from
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spring — of water
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. firm — steady

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