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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — of ice
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — a law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cap — a hat
  24. shower — rain

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