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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cap — of ice
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a hat
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cap — a lid

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