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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · hide · rock · mine · stick · bay · pitch · straw

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rock — to move gently

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