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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — to go on
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — moving air
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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