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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rule — government
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. sharp — clever
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rule — a law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cold — the Cold War

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