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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — for catching
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — a safe
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a committee
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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