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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. vault — a safe
  15. season — of the year
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. drill — army training
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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