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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mug — to rob
  3. land — ground
  4. tear — to rip
  5. land — to come down
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mug — a face
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a music group
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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