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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — to rip
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tear — from crying

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