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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lean — thin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cap — a hat
  12. track — a song
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — low music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — the instrument

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