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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. tear — to rip
  4. vault — a safe
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — the time now
  19. key — in music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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