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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. shower — to wash
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. club — a group
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. club — for golf
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. club — for dancing
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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