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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — from crying
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. vault — a safe
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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