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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. vault — a safe
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. row — a line
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mug — a face
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. can — to be able to
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mug — a cup
  21. can — a tin
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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