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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kick — in football
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — electric
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. shower — rain
  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