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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — of the year
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. board — to get on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — a safe
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pound — a weight
  14. drill — army training
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. drill — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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