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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. tear — to rip
  4. content — happy
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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