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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — the season
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mouse — the animal

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