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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — a company
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tear — to rip
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cue — a hint
  10. firm — steady
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. firm — decided
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — crushed
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ground — a position

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