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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mark — a grade
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a cup

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