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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.

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: can · ground · vault · pitcher · hide · rest · rock · straw

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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