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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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Word bank
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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: game · straw · saw · vault · wind · mug · mate · mouse

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mug — to rob
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mug — a cup
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — a face
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mate — a partner

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