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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 116 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. season — of the year
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tear — to rip
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. vault — a safe
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — the Cold War

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