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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — for paper
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kid — child
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kick — with a leg

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