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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cue — a hint
  3. capital — money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. cue — a signal
  7. club — for golf
  8. file — a tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. club — a group
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a line of people
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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