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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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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: bat · vault · straw · rock · mug · saw · shower · sharp

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bat — the animal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mug — a face
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — a cup
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mug — to rob

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