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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — from crying
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. season — of the year
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — to rip
  13. current — electric
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. key — in music
  17. current — happening now
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — lets stay

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