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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cue — for pool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. kick — in football

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