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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — a gift
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — the time now
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. present — there
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. scale — size or range

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