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

Word bank: cap · toast · mate · march · vault · root · straw · chest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — a box
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. toast — bread
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mate — a partner
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. root — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mate — to breed
  19. root — of a word
  20. vault — a safe
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — the month
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mate — a friend

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