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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — clever
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. vault — a safe
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chest — a box
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chest — of your body
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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