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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — hurry
  5. last — finally
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — to go on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — final
  17. branch — a division
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — a thrill

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