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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 124 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fine — all right
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — to keep secret

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