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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — for catching
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — a leader
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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