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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. march — music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — an illness
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — help
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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