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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fine — high quality
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cold — not warm
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — all right
  20. board — a committee
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — an illness

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