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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tear — to rip
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. scale — in music
  12. court — for sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — of law
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — size or range
  17. vault — a safe
  18. court — of a king

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