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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · straw · coach · tear · mug · rash · vault · march

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. march — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — to rip
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — hasty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — a safe
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. content — happy
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — the amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tear — from crying
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rash — a series

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