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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — a safe
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kick — in football
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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