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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mug — a cup
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — to rip
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — for golf
  18. mug — to rob
  19. club — a group
  20. rule — government
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — a face
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rule — a law

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