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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — a skill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — boats
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. vault — a safe
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kick — with a leg

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