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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fine — high quality
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. tube — a container
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — a leader
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — to sit on

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