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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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