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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. track — a song
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to point toward
  13. track — to keep track
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tear — to rip
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. date — the fruit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bat — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. face — part of the head
  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