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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rash — a series
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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