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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — ground
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — in biology
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pit — in a race

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