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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — a safe
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rule — a law
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — government
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pitcher — a jug

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