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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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — army training
  7. present — a gift
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — for betting
  10. present — there
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — to eat
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — a practice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. content — videos and posts

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