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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 120 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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ball — a dance
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rule — a law
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stock — goods
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rule — government
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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