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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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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — a safe
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — to get on
  20. tear — from crying
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — to rip
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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