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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — a hat
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — to rip
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — soda
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wind — moving air

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