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

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rest — a break
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bat — the animal

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